Suspected armed robbers on Wednesday morning attacked Osun United players and their officials along the Ore-Ondo Expressway.

The team were travelling to Osogbo from Calabar where they lost 2-0 to Unicem Rovers in a rescheduled Bet9ja Nigeria National League match at U.J Esuene Stadium on Monday.

Our correspondent learnt that the 32-seater coaster bus in which the team were travelling developed a fault a few kilometres to Ondo town. As the driver stopped to find out what the problem was, some men reportedly emerged from the bush and attacked the team made up of 18 players and 10 officials with cutlasses.

The coach of the team Duke Udi, goalkeeper Ayo Ojo and the bus driver were said to have sustained machete wounds during the attack.

It was learnt that the robbers also collected money, mobile phones and some other valuables from their victims.

Confirming the incident, spokesman for the police in Ondo State, Mr. Femi Joseph, said those who attacked the team were not armed robbers but hoodlums.

He said, “The incident happened on Wednesday morning at about 1am. The people that attacked the footballers were not deadly armed robbers because they only attacked them with cutlasses and sticks. If they were real armed robbers, they would attack with guns.

“When the footballers were trying to retreat, some of them were injured by the hoodlums. The injured ones have been taken to a hospital in Ondo town.”

Joseph said the command had begun investigation into the matter, adding that they were on the trail of the hoodlums who, according to him, live in the villages around the scene of the incident.